What Does a Scientific Glassblower Do?
Scientific glassblowers shape and repair the flasks, columns and vacuum lines that researchers sketch for them, working heat-resistant glass and quartz at a bench burner or glass lathe in university and company glass shops. Every piece has to hold a vacuum, take heat and fit the rest of the apparatus exactly. Nothing goes back to the lab until it has been checked for strain.
Also known as: Glass Blower
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Bed Laborer, Caster, Injection Molding Machine Operator, Machine Operator, Mold Mechanic, Molder, Molding Line Operator, Press Operator.
Scientific Glassblower Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a scientific glassblower include:
- Build custom lab glassware such as Schlenk lines, columns and reaction flasks from researchers' sketches.
- Repair cracked or broken glassware, including joints, stopcocks and side arms.
- Shape borosilicate tubing on a glass lathe and at the bench burner.
- Work fused quartz with a hydrogen-oxygen torch for high-temperature and optical parts.
- Anneal finished pieces in a kiln to relieve stress, following set heating and cooling schedules.
- Check each piece under polarized light for strain before returning it to the lab.
- Cut, grind and polish glass with diamond saws, lapping wheels and belt sanders.
- Make glass-to-metal seals and graded seals for vacuum and electrical equipment.
- Estimate time and materials for each order and log jobs for lab billing.
- Clean contaminated glassware safely before repair, following chemical hygiene rules.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a scientific glassblower, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Lampworking at the bench burner
- Glass lathe operation
- Quartz fabrication with hydrogen-oxygen torches
- Annealing and stress testing
- Reading technical drawings and sketches
- Hand-eye coordination and fine motor control
- Chemical and burn safety
- Patience with slow, exact work
Education and Training
Only a handful of colleges teach scientific glass technology, so the usual route after high school is years of apprenticeship under a senior glassblower. Machining or drafting classes give trainees a head start at the lathe and with researchers' sketches. Reaching the top grade takes years of quartz and lathe work.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: varies widely for this role, and BLS does not publish pay for it separately. In the wider BLS group it belongs to (Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic), the middle half of earners made $39,280 to $53,000 a year, and the median was $46,170.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic.
BLS projects employment of molders, shapers and casters (except metal and plastic), the broad group that includes scientific glassblowers, to grow about 6 percent from 2025 to 2035. In fact, the group should see roughly 5,100 openings a year, though scientific glassblowing posts are few and open up mainly when someone retires.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic.
Scientific Glassblower Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $35,850 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $39,280 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $46,170 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $53,000 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $61,530 |
Highest-Paying States for Scientific Glassblowers
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are Montana ($57,860), Hawaii ($55,990), Oregon ($52,740), Connecticut ($52,520), Washington ($51,780). Pay is lowest in Wyoming ($37,510), Alabama ($36,730), Arkansas ($35,620).
Median pay in all 48 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $36,730 |
| Arizona | $49,060 |
| Arkansas | $35,620 |
| California | $49,190 |
| Colorado | $49,530 |
| Connecticut | $52,520 |
| Delaware | $47,940 |
| Florida | $45,030 |
| Georgia | $47,160 |
| Hawaii | $55,990 |
| Idaho | $42,620 |
| Illinois | $47,180 |
| Indiana | $46,400 |
| Iowa | $46,220 |
| Kansas | $47,360 |
| Kentucky | $41,590 |
| Louisiana | $46,870 |
| Maine | $48,640 |
| Maryland | $50,360 |
| Massachusetts | $50,550 |
| Michigan | $45,250 |
| Minnesota | $45,790 |
| Mississippi | $37,580 |
| Missouri | $46,380 |
| Montana | $57,860 |
| Nebraska | $46,220 |
| Nevada | $45,020 |
| New Hampshire | $51,470 |
| New Jersey | $47,360 |
| New Mexico | $46,970 |
| New York | $45,940 |
| North Carolina | $38,190 |
| North Dakota | $46,170 |
| Ohio | $44,560 |
| Oklahoma | $46,460 |
| Oregon | $52,740 |
| Pennsylvania | $45,310 |
| Rhode Island | $47,610 |
| South Carolina | $46,110 |
| Tennessee | $45,860 |
| Texas | $40,010 |
| Utah | $43,440 |
| Vermont | $48,660 |
| Virginia | $45,410 |
| Washington | $51,780 |
| West Virginia | $43,300 |
| Wisconsin | $48,030 |
| Wyoming | $37,510 |
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| High school diploma or GED | 66% |
| Less than high school | 22% |
| Post-secondary certificate | 6% |
| Associate's degree | 5% |
Tools and Software Scientific Glassblowers Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy hands-on work with tools, machines or the outdoors as well as organized work with data, records and clear procedures.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Operation and Control, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Operations Monitoring, Speaking, Monitoring.
Knowledge areas used most: Production and Processing, Mechanical, Administration and Management, English Language, Mathematics.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 2 of 5, which means some preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
Applying for a Scientific Glassblower Job
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 51-9195.00 (Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.